By Jason Verduzco
For big sports fans, watching their favorite teams competing for the championship takes up as much of their attention and passion, cheering them on in the sidelines. Whether it be football, basketball, or any other international sporting event, it would be difficult to follow the flow of the game if you don’t understand how commentators narrate what is happening in the match or what the announcers are saying.
Since many major sporting events nowadays are global in scope, it would be best to have some knowledge of other languages where those sports are played so you can truly immerse yourself not just in the sport but in the culture of the teams you follow.
Here are some tips so you would not be caught off guard or get lost:
Pick Up a New Language
Self-studying and learning a new language has been made easier today with services and educational resources online that give you quick lectures, videos, and audio clips that would help you acquire the basic structure and common words used in the language. The advantage of this is that you don’t need to spend too much money, but it requires a lengthy amount of time to expose your ears and your tongue to the language before becoming fluent.
But you can be assured that this new skill would make you versatile in business, travel, and communication. Sites like Babbel, Duolingo, and Rosetta Stone are some of the popular language learning sites with a slew of languages you can choose from.
Enroll in a Language School
The most structured, formal way of learning a language is to enroll in a course where a teacher will guide you on grammar, vocabulary, as well as cultural nuances that you may not find on the internet. This will also force you to become accustomed to communicating because you will be put in a space where your attention will be focused on learning.
Moreover, being in a group would also encourage you to interact and share ideas as you acquire the language. If you wasn’t able to pick up a lesson, you can ask a classmate to help you. It also makes it more fun with other people. Around London, there are a few really good schools that you can enroll such as the Goethe-Institut, International House-London, and Language-Studies International.
Avail of Translation Services
The quickest method that would require the least amount of effort to understand a different language is to make use of translation services. There are online translators available, but most of them do not have the capacity to interpret colloquial phrases that only real people who speak the language would know.
Several translation services can help you navigate in a foreign language with their experts and professional interpreters to give you the equivalent expressions and idioms in your native tongue. Espresso Translations London advises that you always result to professional translation service providers that will ensure the translated language is localized to the intended audience.
Ask a Friend
Lastly, you can always ask someone to help you understand what is being said in the foreign language. If they have advanced knowledge or skill, then you could just get them to translate for you. And the best part of it is that it’s free, easy, and quick.
For that matter, you can probably ask them to teach you how to speak and understand in their native tongue or foreign language. There you have it. When you are watching an international sporting event and would like to be able to understand the foreign languages you hear, then these are some of the tips that you can do to help.